Harry Potter and the Fight for Freedom
by mary-d1
Summary: What happens when the world around you is divided? Can true love exist during a war fueled by hate? How far would you go to protect the people you love? Sequal to HP & The Lost Phoenix
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related names and places are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Well, here we are! I told you guys it might take some time to get things up and running. Before I start, some things have to be said. First, this story is going to be different from LP as in the style of writing. One way, I am not going to solely portray everything through Harry's point-of-view. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny will have a chance to tell their sides. Some chapters will switch between all of them and some may have just one person's sole view. Sounds confusing, but trust me, I think things will be much easier this time. I actually have a behind-the-scenes collaborator this time and we've talked about doing things this way ever since before LP was finished (hence why this story has taken so long to appear!)

Second way, I actually went back and read LP just as you guys did. I was shocked at how much I censored myself. I wanted it to be a lot more edgy than it was, but for some reason I held back. Therefore, after once again holding a pow-wow with my semi-sane collaborator, I've decided to spice things up. There will be lots of strong language and some sexual innuendo. If this offends you, I'm truly sorry. These kids are 16-17+ now so I figure they should act like it. In addition, the world they live in now is turbulent.

Thirdly, I have no idea how long this will be, when I will be done with it, or when each chapter will be posted. This is a WIP and I don't want to rush it. More than likely it won't be done before HBP comes out, so I'll decide after reading that whether I actually want to continue. Sorry for such a long delay, but I'm finally to the point that I can start writing on this. Enjoy!

* * *

_What happens when the world around you is divided? Can true love exist during a war fueled by hate? How far would you go to protect the people you love?_

_During their next year at Hogwarts, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione, will discover the answers to these questions. They will not only fight for freedom from the most evil wizard to ever walk the earth, but they will each have to fight for their own freedoms._

_Hermione will fight to be no longer seen as a "mudblood". She's tired of being labeled as low-class simply because her parents were muggles. She'll prove that she's a witch if it's the last thing she does; and it very well may be._

_Ron is determined to prove that he's more than just "Harry Potter's ever faithful sidekick". He's determined to prove his worth to the Wizarding world, but what will it cost him?_

_Ginny has finally realized that caring for someone doesn't mean weakness. She's proven that she can face down Voldemort and live. Now she must find freedom from her greatest enemy—fear._

_Harry Potter has spent the past six years building a life for himself in the wizarding world. He's found friendship, family, and love. He's lived with the constant fear of Voldemort swooping down and destroying everything he holds dear. When the time comes to stand and fight, he's going to give everything he has for the greatest freedom of allthe freedom to live._

_In just one short year, the wizarding world will be divided by evil, families will be ripped apart, love will be crushed, and friendships will end forever. _

* * *

Rain thundered against the window. Harry Potter pressed his forehead against the glass, welcoming the cooling sensation on his skin. He had spent the past few hours under the sweltering sun. Vernon had wanted the lawn mowed before he returned home for the evening, so Harry had been saddled with the task. A lighting bolt forked across the sky causing Harry to jump back in alarm. The storm had been threatening for the past half hour and Harry hurried to finish before it hit. 

Falling back onto his bed, Harry began to wonder if he had somehow managed to link the weather to his moods. The day had started fair enough; the morning sky had been clear and bright. Harry had awoken in a good mood, having slept the entire night with no menacing nightmares. As the day wore on, however, Harry's mood had darkened and so had the sky. Finally, only moments ago, his temper had broken and so had the storm clouds.

It had been another one of his usual rows with Vernon. (He had stopped referring to him as _Uncle_ after his return from school.) They had the same one every evening for the past two weeks. Harry would do (or in today's case not do) something, Vernon would shout, and Harry would storm to his room. Harry no longer saw a point in arguing. It had never gotten him anywhere before. Besides, he always risked the chance of doing accidental magic when he lost his temper. Ad he wasn't sure if he was in the ministry's favor these days. It would be very stupid indeed to be disciplined for underage magic one week before he came of age.

Since entering the wizarding world, Harry had found himself looking rather forward to his birthdays. Even last year, with the gaping Sirius-shaped hole in his heart, it had felt good to be surrounded by his friends when he turned sixteen. This year was different. He wasn't able to get excited about turning seventeen. He would finally be allowed to use magic outside Hogwarts, he could learn to Apparate, and he could finally leave the Dursleys forever.

Harry knew all of these new freedoms should excite him, but he just couldn't. Too many things plagued his heart and mind to be happy right now. It was as if the events of the past six years had finally caught up with him. He felt very old and very tired now. His mind was constantly turning; going in seven different directions at once.

He thought about Sirius quite a lot. Often, Harry would replay that horrible day's events. If only he had listened to Hermione. If only he hadn't rushed off to be the hero. If only someone had gone to help Sirius take on Lestrange. If only… There were a million _if onlys, _but Harry knew that none of it mattered now. Sirius was dead.

Moreover, with Sirius's death came the loss of another parent. Harry's mind began to dwell on his parents a lot recently. He truly hadn't thought about them much over the past few years. Several times, he had found out bits of information about them, learned of their days at Hogwarts, and even heard their voices on several horrible occasions. Now though, he wondered what they would think of him. Would they find him smart, funny, an all around good son? Would they be proud of his accomplishments or horrified at the number of reckless things he had done? Would they like his friends? Would he have had brother and sisters or would he have remained their only child? Would they give him the words of wisdom and comfort he so desperately needed about his future?

The future was something that plagued Harry daily. He tried to stretch his mind to think of the possibilities of his life after Voldemort. Whenever he tried though, he came up blank. Was it possible that he would get to live? Ever since his return from Hogwarts, Harry felt that, his time to fulfill the prophecy was coming closer. It was as if there was an hourglass somewhere counting down the remaining days of freedom and Harry could feel the sand slipping rapidly away. The thought of death didn't frighten him anymore, but thinking about the things he wouldn't experience did.

Harry hated the idea of leaving behind the family he had built around himself. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had taken him into their already overflowing brood, no questions asked. Ron and Hermione were the two greatest friends he could have ever dared hope for. And Ginny…

Harry couldn't stop the blush from rising. Thinking about Ginny always did that to him and he was _always_ thinking about her. The moment they had shared at King's Cross seemed an eternity ago, but at times, he swore he could still feel her…

Blimey, it was starting to get uncomfortably warm in his bedroom. He got up and opened the window far enough to allow a cool breeze to flutter the curtains without letting the rain in. Lying back on his bed, he closed his eyes. His strange new relationship with Ginny was a welcome surprise. He'd never imagined becoming more than friends with her. He'd certainly never planned to kiss her…well in public at least.

Just as his mind slipped back to that embarrassing, but really rather nice moment, Harry froze in horror. He'd been sabotaged! Again! First Cho and now Ginny; this wasn't fair! His first kiss ever had happened before he even realized what was happening. It had ended even worse, what with Cho bursting into tears all over him. Now Ginny had gone and done it! He grabbed the pillow behind his head and pressed it over his face. Couldn't he ever be the first?

"Do that and you'll miss out on all the fun of being a seventh year."

At the sound of the voice, Harry tumbled off the bed and groped for his wand. Finding it, he pointed it in the direction of the person who was now laughing.

"Relax Harry, it's just me! I swear sometimes you're as jumpy as Mad-Eye."

Harry lowered his wand and stood up, shaking slightly. "Bloody hell, Tonks! Can't you ever knock or something?"

Smiling from the doorway, Tonks shook her head. "Now where would the fun be in that?" She crossed the room, shoving dirty laundry to the side with her foot. "You know, I think you're becoming a right slob. This place is worse than it was on Sunday."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry. Petunia won't step foot near here anymore and I just haven't felt like cleaning up."

"Obviously," Tonks said as she looked around the room. Then, clapping her hands together, she gave a cheerful sigh. "Right then, I've come for your usual update session."

Harry scoffed. "You don't have to bother. I'm sure it's all the same. Everyone misses me, can't wait to see me, and says to keep my temper in control."

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, you've pretty much got it all."

Harry walked around her, picking up his laundry, trying not to get angry.

* * *

_On the evening of the day after his return from school, Harry had sat wishing for all the promised letters to start arriving, especially the ones from Ginny. However, Tonks had arrived that night and ruined that idea._

_"Sorry Harry, but there won't be any post for you. Dumbledore doesn't think it's safe to put anything in writing these days. The chance of someone getting hold of important information is just too great. I promise, though, everyone is together and perfectly safe."_

_Harry tried to refrain from throwing something. "So are they at the Burrow or Grim…er __London__?"_

_Tonks smiled sadly. "You know I can't tell you that. I'll be by every few days to let you know what's going on. I'm not sure when you'll be getting out of here, but I don't expect it will be too long."_

_Harry growled in frustration, but Tonks patted his shoulder. "I know it's frustrating, but he does everything for a reason. The reasons might not always make sense, but they're there." _

_There was something in Tonk's voice that made Harry wonder what sort of restrictions Dumbledore had placed on her life._

* * *

As Harry threw the last pair of socks in the hamper, Tonks spoke again. "Now that that's done, I can give you your birthday present." She pulled out a small, but thick book of parchment.

Stifling a snort, Harry looked at the book. "This has to be from Hermione. She's the only one who buys me books."

"Actually, this is from me. I picked it up when I left work today." She pressed the book into his hands.

Harry looked down at the cover. In the center was the official Ministry of Magic seal. Above it, in large curly silver letters was:

**_Department of Magical Transportation_**

**_Apparition Division_**

Smaller words under the seal read:

_Official Apparition Examination Study Manual_

_413th Edition_

Eyes wide, Harry looked up at Tonks. "Apparition study guide?"

"Well, yeah. Thought you might want to study in your spare time. You can only study the theory part now; can't go Apparating wherever you please. Don't look at me like that! First, it isn't safe. B, you aren't seventeen yet. Third, you can't Apparate freely anywhere near this place without getting splinched."

Ignoring that fact that Tonks was trying to be funny, Harry snapped at her. "You do it all the time!"

"Yes, but I'm a highly trained Auror," she said, giving him a sly wink. "Trust me; you'd better study that theory stuff. The written part of the exam is about a hundred and fifty questions. Do you know that Hermione has the thing memorized, cover to cover? She's only had it two weeks! Girl's a bloody genius, or something. She keeps going around quizzing Ron; I think he's on the verge of doing something drastic to shut her up."

Harry couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Hermione chasing Ron around, bombarding him with questions. He stopped shortly when he thought about the fact that they were having such a fun time together, wherever they were.

Tonks smiled at him as though she realized where his thoughts had gone. "Don't get into a foul mood. Besides, I've got something else to tell you, and I think this will be even better than your present."

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and tried to keep his expression neutral.

"I have it on good authority that you will not be spending your birthday here. I can't tell you where you're going mind, but I promise it will be a load better than here."

Without thinking, Harry had launched himself at Tonks. He hugged her with all his might, feeling his heart swelling. He would be away from here in less than a week. Even though he missed his two best friends deeply, it was the thought of seeing Ginny again that made him happier than anything.

* * *

"Hermione, I swear if you ask me another question I'm going to…" Ron stopped. He didn't know what he was going to do, but it was going to be something.

Hermione placed her hands on her hips and gave him _the look_. "You're going to what?"

The pair stood facing each other, Ron weighing his options. If he didn't make just the right threat she would either keep pestering him or, worse, give him the cold shoulder from now until Merlin knew when.

Foot tapping, Hermione stared him down. "I'm waiting."

"I…well…I'll…" Ron floundered. Then an idea struck him. "I won't kiss you for a whole week!" Even as the words were coming out of his mouth, Ron knew it was a bad idea.

Brown eyes narrowed, and their owner took a step closer to her target. "Well, that's just fine by me. Just remember that when you sneak out of your room tonight!" She turned on her heel and flounced away toward the pond.

"Damn it, Weasley!" Ron smacked himself in the head. He set off at a run for Hermione. She had already dropped down under the tree, nose stuck in the study guide. Dropping down beside her, he plucked the book from her hands. "I'm sorry. I just…I just get tired of going over that stuff constantly."

"Ron, I'm just trying to help you." Her voice was slightly cool, but still carried its usual concern.

Ron dropped the book in her lap and looked out over the pond. He felt her warm hand rest on his arm. "This isn't really about the exam, is it?"

Shaking his ginger head, he continued to stare out over the water. She was right, of course, but he wasn't sure how to put his concern into words. Still without speaking, he lay down and settled his head into her lap. He closed his eyes as she began to rake her fingers through his hair. Eyes still closed he finally spoke. "I just…I don't know, things feel strange."

"You mean about us?"

"Sort of."

"You're not still worried about what Harry thinks, are you?"

Ron's tempered flared. He roughly pushed himself up and started to walk away from her.

"Ron! Ron, what…?"

He turned to find her standing, also. Her face was screwed up, halfway between tears and anger.

He tried to choke back the words, but they came forward. "No! For once, something isn't about Harry! Can't something just be about us for a change?" He tried to stop, but the words continued to spill forth. "He's my best mate, but can't we just be…I don't know..._us_…for awhile? It's as if our whole world revolves around him and this stupid war. For five minutes, I'd like to just be a normal teenager and not have to worry about death and destruction. I want to just sit under that tree and snog my girlfriend senseless! Is that so wrong to ask?"

Ron stopped and caught site of Hermione's face. Tears were streaming and she was shaking. _"Stupid prat!" he thought. "Just throw her parents death in her face, why don't you?"_ "Gods, Hermione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blown up like that." He went over to her and gathered her into his arms.

She gave a sniffle and looked up at him. "No, don't apologize. You're right, about everything. I'm sorry about badgering you to study. I just thought that if we had something to occupy our time we wouldn't have to think about it so much."

"I know, and I'm really not mad at you for that. I guess I'm still not used to being like this with you. I keep thinking that one morning you're going to wake up and realize that you're way too good for me."

Hermione swatted his arm. "Don't you ever say that again, Ronald Weasley. Your mum was right; we are made for each other."

Ron smiled at her. "Yeah, who else could put up with a nag like you?"

"Only a lazy, selfish prat like you." She buried her head in his chest, again. "What if we do it?"

Ron stiffened and pulled away from her slightly. "Wh…what?"

Hermione looked up and rolled her eyes. Ron was pleased to see a deep blush rising across her face."Oh don't be daft. I didn't mean…_that_. I meant what if we did act like normal teenagers. You know, for the rest of the summer. It's our last real bit of freedom before we have to start worrying about jobs and the future. We should just enjoy it."

"You really think you could handle it?" Ron had to admit that he felt a bit deflated now. For a wild second he'd thought she'd really meant… "You know it would mean no constant studying. Just days of endless laziness."

"Well, you're the expert at that; you could show me how."

"Alright, that's a deal. Now, first lesson." He took her hand and pulled her back under the tree. Dropping down, he pulled her into his lap. "Give me this." He took the book from her hand and tossed it far away. Curling his hands in her chestnut hair, he kissed her soundly.

Pulling away for air, Hermione actually gave a giggle. "I could get used to this normal teenager stuff."

Ron smiled. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

Hermione beamed and kissed him again. It was strange still; saying those words and hearing them in return. It had been barely a month since they'd admitted to being in love.

_Ron remembered every second of that night perfectly. They'd been at St. Mungo's, keeping vigil over Ginny, who seemed to be hovering somewhere between life and death. If Ron was completely honest with himself, it had begun long before that. The time Hermione was laying Petrified in the hospital wing, when Ron had been dragged into the tree by Sirius, the night after the Department of Mysteries fight…every single time Ron had thought he would never see Hermione again. Each time, though, they always came back together. It had been Christmas, last year when Ron became very frightened. He had crept into her room and watched her sleep. Her parents were dead and she lay there so pale and small. Ron realized how close he had come to losing her. Nevertheless, as with all the other times, he became scared and didn't tell her what he should have. He believed that she would laugh at him and their friendship would be ruined. It was easier to believe that she would want someone like Harry, instead of a poor, lazy slob like him. _

_When the giants attacked, Ron found he could wait no longer. Terrified that he had lost his chance forever, he struggled to get back to the school. When Hermione had launched herself into his arms, he knew. News of Ginny had driven the thought from his head, and they rushed to her side. Later that evening, the two had been left alone and Ron found he could shy away from it no longer. Without a thought in his head, he'd walked over to her. Words wouldn't come out, so he did the only thing he could think of. He kissed her; wonderfully and completely. Every thing he felt for her came out in that kiss. When he pulled away, he expected to see anger or confusion. Instead, Hermione's chocolate eyes were shining and she was smiling. _

_"I love you, Hermione. I have for a long time, and if you don't feel the same way then that's fine, but I had to tell you."_

_"I love you to." She didn't say another word, but kissed him back. _

"What are you thinking about?"

Ron smiled at his girlfriend. "You, actually. And the night we finally…how did Harry put it? Oh yeah, _pulled our heads out of our rear ends._ It seems so long ago."

"I'm glad we did, though." Hermione reached up and kissed her boyfriend again.

* * *

"That's disgusting."

"What's disgusting, dear?"

Ginny snapped her head around. She hadn't meant to say that aloud. Closing her curtains quickly, Ginny gave her mother an innocent smile. "Oh, there was a big ugly bug on the windowsill. It's gone now."

Molly raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She placed the folded clothes on her daughter's bed, and walked over to her. "Are you feeling alright, Ginny? You didn't eat very much at lunch."

"Mum, don't fuss. I'm fine, I swear."

Giving her daughter an appraising glance, Molly nodded. "Alright, well, why don't you go and tell our happy couple that we'll start on the wards again in about fifteen minutes." Walking out the door, Molly stopped and smiled slyly. "That is unless what they're doing is too disgusting to get near."

Ginny stood with her mouth agape. Her mother never ceased to amaze her.

The redhead smiled to herself and set off for the couple down by the pond. She stopped a good distance away and cleared her throat. "Mum says that they'll be starting the work on the wards again in a few minutes."

She watched as the pair disentangled themselves. Walking hand-in-hand past her, Hermione gave Ginny an embarrassed smile and Ron ruffled her hair affectionately.

One couldn't help feeling jealous watching those two. Merlin knew they both deserved to be happy, but it's hard to be happy for a couple when you're on your own.

Ginny took up the spot under the tree and looked out over the pond. Truthfully, she didn't know whether she was alone or not. It had been three weeks since her emotions had gotten the better of her. Her face still turned crimson when she thought of that day. What had she been thinking? Kissing him right out in the car park for the whole of London to see! And his family standing there watching!

Groaning, Ginny banged her head back into the tree trunk. What must Harry think of her, now? Hopefully, he didn't find her a slag that just went around kissing blokes. Well, she would know soon enough. Just this morning Dumbledore decided to announce that Harry would be leaving his uncle's and come to stay at the Burrow for the remainder of the summer holidays. Ginny had at least hoped she would be able to ease into this new relationship with Harry through letters. That idea had been crushed almost instantly. She'd seriously considered writing a very long letter and trying to convince Tonks to deliver it. After eleven crumbled bits of parchment, two broken quills, and many words she wouldn't dare let her mother hear, Ginny'd given up. What she felt simply couldn't be put into words. No, she'd be a woman and tell him face to face.

Of course that had seemed very simple until she found out his arrival was only days away. Now, she tripped over the words in her own mind. How could she ever say them aloud? Moreover, (and this thought had only occurred this morning) what if he didn't feel the same as he had at King's Cross? What if he still just saw her as a friend?

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. _"Come on, you know better than that. Remember what he said at the hospital that night. He likes you more than just his friend."_

"Yes, but what happens next?" she asked herself aloud.

_"You'll figure that out when the time comes. Worry about today, not tomorrow."_

Ginny smiled and took a deep breath of the fresh summer air. Yes, she'd worry about it all later. For now, she would think of a messy haired-boy with lovely eyes, and the feel of his lips on hers. Of course, she had no idea that the boy was thinking the same thing about her at that very moment.

* * *

A/N: Alrighty, first chappie is up! A few things I need to get out of the way, before I get bombarded with questions. Hermione's age is a bit confusing. In LP, she was underage. This is because it was written before JKR cleared up how old she was. Now that I know she turned 12 on Sept. 19 1991, I had to tweak this story a bit.

Essentially, The Weasleys' signed to be her guardians when she was 16, because her parents didn't want to take chances. As she is now 17, going on 18 se no longer needs them legally. She and Ron are of legal age to do magic outside of school, so they have been drafted to help with wards being placed around the property for their protection.

Next chapter, Harry will come to the Burrow. The place will be buzzing with two celebrations, so it should be a fun time for all! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related names and places are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and various others… and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: I am completely determined to finish this story. It may take forever, but… I wasn't sure whether to continue since HBP came out since it's all completely AU now, but I figure what the heck. Though I completely love the book now, (it's overtaken PoA as my favorite book of the series…though just narrowly.) I've realized I can't get this story out of my head. I spent lots of long hours at work, staring at my computer, completely dazed and rewriting different parts in my head. I've re-written the ending at least a dozen times and have finally whittled my choices down to two. Not sure which I'll use, but they're both great so I may do one and then do an alternate ending…hmmm… Anyway, my schedule has calmed down a bit and maybe I can devote a lot more time and have this thing finished before the last book comes out….LOL!

* * *

It was a few days until his birthday, and Harry couldn't remember ever being so excited. He was flat on his stomach, halfway under his bed, fishing out any last minute items trying to escape the confines of his trunk. Pulling out two spare quills and a bag of owl treats, he stood up triumphantly.

He had yet to tell his family that he would be leaving for good sometime in the next few days. He wanted to see the looks on their faces, when he hauled everything he owned downstairs to await his guard. Not that he expected anything short of pure jubilation from them, but it would at least give him some satisfaction. As he threw the last remaining items in his trunk, Harry looked over at Hedwig. She sat watching him, tilting her head from one side to the other.

"Just think girl, soon you can come and go as you please. No more being locked up in your cage."

Hedwig gave what Harry assumed was a happy hoot, and gave herself a shake. Harry looked down into his trunk. There seemed to be more stuff when it was scattered about the room, but the trunk seemed still very empty. Shrugging it off, he began to check off his final packing list.

Dumbledore had never said exactly who was coming to fetch him or when they would arrive; he had simply given him instructions the night before to be packed and ready to go at a moments notice.

It was quite a shock when Harry entered his bedroom after dinner and found his headmaster sitting serenely on his bed looking as though visiting his students' bedrooms was perfectly natural.

Harry gave a frightened yell, and then clapped a hand over his mouth once he recognized Dumbledore.

"_Good evening Harry. I hope you are well. Forgive me this intrusion, but I thought it best not to disturb your aunt and uncle for just a momentary meeting with you."_

"_It's okay, sir. I'm not sure they would have been very happy to see you."_

_Harry sat in the little chair placed at his desk and looked at Dumbledore. _

"_Well, I suppose we should press on to business then. Harry, you know that you will come of age in a certain number of days. And on that day the protection you have while residing with your aunt and uncle will expire."_

_Harry nodded, not taking his eyes from Dumbledore._

"_Naturally this means you will have to be removed from this place and taken to a more secure location. All the details are being sorted out as we speak, but for cautions sake I cannot tell you about the finer details. I will ask that after this evening you have your belongings packed and ready to leave at a moments notice. I shall select the day and time for you to leave at random…" Dumbledore smiled widely at Harry's incredulous look. "Don't worry Harry; I'm sure it will be sooner than later. The fewer people who know our plans the better, I say."_

_Dumbledore stood and fastened his cloak. "I'm sorry I haven't more time to chat, Harry, but there is much to be done."_

"_Do we know anymore about Voldemort's plans, sir?" But seeing Dumbledore's smile, Harry knew he wouldn't get an answer. "I know, you can't tell me."_

"_You will know a great deal soon enough. I promised to never keep secrets from you again Harry. Moreover, I will honor that promise unless I see reason not to. Do not worry, Harry. I believe we will see more of each other in the coming year than in the past. We have a common goal, but a very different path. I am determined to help you on your journey as much as I can."_

_Harry nodded. "Sir, can I ask you something else?"_

"_I see no reason why not."_

"_Well, once I leave here; do I…well do I ever have to come back?"_

_Dumbledore looked at Harry without speaking. Harry stared back, but finally dropped his gaze to the floor. "No, Harry, you need never return to this house if you do not wish to." For the first time in a long while, Dumbledore's voice shook very slightly._

The headmaster left shortly, reminding Harry to be ready to leave at any moment. Harry hadn't been able to sleep. He kept getting up and adding more things to his list, and checking that everything was in order. Finding everything had been more difficult than he thought, and he began to worry that he wouldn't have it all before he had to leave. At three in the morning, when he'd knocked over the bookshelf and woke Vernon (who roared for twenty minutes) Harry finally decided to get some sleep. He slept for about two fitful hours before beginning his packing again.

"Get down here for breakfast, this instant!" Petunia yelled up the stairs.

Harry smiled to himself. "Coming!" He had ignored the first three times she'd yelled. He wanted to be packed and haul everything down with him. Breakfast seemed to be the perfect moment to spring the news on them. Maybe Dudley would choke on his grapefruit…

* * *

Hermione yawned widely and looked out her window. It seemed awfully bright… Taking the clock from her bedside table, she gave a squeak. Never in her life had she slept past seven o'clock!

Just as she pulled her dressing gown on, someone knocked at her door.

"Come in."

Ron, smiling shyly, pushed open her door. He was bearing a tray of eggs, sausages, toast and coffee. "You missed breakfast, but Mum saved you this. Ginny said you were still asleep, so we decided not to wake you."

Hermione sat back down on her bed and frowned. "I'm sorry, Ron. You know you don't have to keep saving me breakfast, or letting me oversleep."

Sitting beside her, Ron pushed her curls back from her face. "You deserve the rest. It was long night."

Hermione dropped her gaze. Last night had been bad. It had started out fine; she, Ron, and Ginny had played Exploding Snap for a while. Eventually Hermione retired to the sofa and watched Ginny try to beat her brother at chess. She didn't remember falling asleep, but when the dreams came she wanted desperately to wake up.

She saw that night again. Hermione watched her father trying to protect her mother, saw the flashes of light, heard the screams. She stepped in front of her parents, trying to hold them off.

"_Dad! Take Mum and go! You can't fight them; you won't stand a chance! I already called for help! Get out of here!"_

Her screams had eventually woken her, and she found herself clinging to Ron. Shaking, she pressed her face to his shoulder and sobbed even harder. Ginny smoothed her hair and breathed soothing words into her ear. It was the same every time; Ginny and Ron would spend hours holding her and trying to calm her fears.

Hermione looked around at Ron, who was studying her. "I'm fine…really. Today feels like a good day."

Giving her a smile, he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, you'd better eat up. Mum's already had Ginny and me working, and you're certainly not going to get away with hiding out up here much longer."

At that exact second, Molly shouted up the stairs. "Ron, is Hermione up yet?"

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley! I'm up and I'll be down in a bit!"

"Oh well, dear, no hurry. Ron, I want you downstairs and back to cleaning up around that pond!"

Ron sighed as he heard the back door slam behind his mother. "She's gone completely over the edge. This wedding is going to drive us all mad. Harry's lucky that he gets out of this whole cleaning thing."

"Does anyone know when he's coming?" Hermione asked as she took a bite of toast.

"If they do, they aren't telling. I don't even think Mum and Dad know." Ron nicked a piece of sausage from Hermione's plate and crossed to the door. "Better hurry up or all the decent jobs will be taken. Ginny's up to her elbows in dirt, trying to clear out the flower beds. If you aren't careful, she'll mange to get you pulled down with her."

Hermione sat, exhausted and covered in dirt, at the base of the old tree. Night was falling, and Mrs. Weasley would soon be calling her for dinner. She wanted just a few more minutes of peace and quiet. Ron and Ginny had already retreated to the house to wash up, but Hermione had lingered behind. She leaned back onto the cool bark and let the soft wind play across her face.

She was exhausted; not as much physically but mentally. When she'd first arrived here, she'd had the horrible dreams every night. Molly had eventually set her to drinking a specially brewed tea that, Hermione had correctly guessed, was laced with a dreamless sleeping draught. Hermione tried not to drink it too often, she hated depending on a potion just to be normal. She felt awful for keeping everyone up at night. Every time she finally awoke from these dreams to find Ron cradling her, with Ginny smoothing her hair down and whispering to her. She couldn't figure out why this seemed to calm her down above anything else, but it did. In the beginning Molly had tried to calm her, but Hermione only found herself crying harder and yelling louder. She guessed it had something to do with the fact that Molly was more of a mother figure towards her, and it was her mother she missed more than anything at those moments. So eventually, Ron and Ginny took up the task of calming her, while Molly brewed the tea and tucked her in when it was all over.

Since she and Ron had made the agreement to "be normal" a few days earlier, things seemed better. Last night had been the first nightmare in a week. Perhaps, not hearing about death and destruction was a good thing for her. When Ginny had heard about their idea, she decided to join along.

"_I've had enough horrible news. Besides, think of all the things we could be doing instead of lurking around trying to hear what the Order's up to."_

So they had stopped listening at key holes, lurking behind doors and furniture, and Hermione had even given up her subscription to the _Daily Prophet_. Their time was now spent teaching Hermione to play Quidditch (which she was fantastically horrible at), lounging in the yard, and occasionally swimming in the pond.

Laughter came easily now, and Hermione could finally enjoy being in love. She smiled as she thought about it. Being in love with Ron was unlike anything else she had done in her life. It was more exhilarating than getting perfect marks on her OWL's, but more frightening than taking on a group of Deatheaters. She was amazed that she could feel so many different things all at once. Ron's words from years previous came back to her

"_One person can't feel all that at once; they'd explode."_

Of course, Hermione had come back with a snappish retort, but now she wondered if he wasn't right. There were times when she was with Ron, that she felt like she was about to burst with emotions. The world felt right, perfect; then she would feel ashamed for being so happy, she should be mourning her parents not happily kissing her boyfriend. Then guilt at having these thoughts would take over, and then joy would overtake her again. It was madness, really!

"There you are, dear! Didn't you hear me calling you?"

Hermione gave a jump as she heard Molly's voice. She looked up to see the older woman standing above her; hand on one hip, but smiling all the same.

"Sorry, have you been calling me for very long?"

"Not really. Ron and Ginny told you would be out here." To Hermione's amazement Mrs. Weasley sat down on the ground next to her. "Are you alright, dear? I told you, you don't really have to muck about in the garden. You could help me inside where it's much cooler."

"No, no, I'm fine. I sleep better when I tire myself out during the day."

"There's something else bothering you, isn't there?"

Hermione smiled slightly. There was no way around it; this woman was not one to give up easily. "I'm just feeling…well…I'm not sure what I'm feeling exactly."

"Are you unhappy here, dear? Would you rather make an early start to Hogwarts? Dumbledore's offer still stands."

Hermione remembered Dumbledore's offer to come and spend the rest of the summer at school. She would be able to get a head start in her studies, and she would have free run of the library day and night.

"No, I'd much rather be here." And seeing Molly's raised eyebrows, she said, "And not just because of Ron. It's hard to explain."

"Well, why don't you try?"

"I feel like this is where I belong." Hermione's gaze drifted out over the pond. "With everything that's happened, I just feel that as long as I'm here; I'll be alright. I feel safe, but it's not just that. There are times I feel guilty for being here and feeling that way."

"Why, dear?"

"It's like I'm betraying them by being happy." There, the thought was now out in the open. Hermione had struggled with it since her arrival here. "Sometimes I feel like I'm enjoying my time here too much. Other times I realize that they died so I could live; it's a never ending circle. I feel guilty for being happy, and then I feel awful for feeling guilty…"

Hermione broke off as her voice began to tremble. Tears were burning the corners of her eyes. She felt a warm arm, slip around her shoulders. Molly pulled her close against her chest.

"Dear child, I can't begin to imagine how you're feeling. I know there isn't anything I can say to make things seem better. I'll say this to you, though. From the first day I met you, I've loved you as much as one of my own; you and Harry both. Arthur and I would never dream of trying to replace your parents. That is a place in your heart that no one can ever fill, but I want you to always know that you're forever welcome here. You should never feel guilty for being happy. You know that they wanted you to live your life; you said so yourself. Your parents died so that you could live; don't squander their gift, Hermione."

They were the most touching words Hermione had ever heard. For the first time in months, she felt truly at peace with herself. She couldn't explain why, but she knew then that whatever the future held, she could face it.

The pair stood up and started back to the house. They walked in silence for awhile.

"I've been meaning to ask you something, dear."

"Yes?"

"Why have the three of you suddenly stopped sneaking around and listening at keyholes? We've had three briefings with the Order this week and you lot weren't behind any of the furniture. Trust me, I checked."

Hermione snorted with laughter. "We've decided to give up the detective work for the rest of the summer. It's our last chance to just be normal, so we figured that we shouldn't waste it."

"A very good idea, dear. Let's hope that Harry can do the same when he arrives. Goodness knows the whole lot of you deserve it."

"Yes, I think we do."

* * *

To say that Harry was annoyed would be an understatement. He had awoken that morning expecting the house to be full of members of the Order, ready to rush him away from the Dursleys. It was now closing in on noon and there hadn't been the slightest sign of any attempt to remove him. Perhaps Dumbledore was waiting for the cover of night. Or maybe the plans had to be changed. What if the arrangements Dumbledore made had been discovered? Had there been an attack?

Harry grabbed the _Daily Prophet_ from his bedside table and began to peruse it for the third time that morning. Maybe he had missed something; some small detail that would explain why no one was coming for him. But, there was nothing. Voldemort and his Deatheaters were being unusually quiet. Was that it? Did Dumbledore know something was about to happen and needed all the Order members to prevent it? If so, wouldn't Harry need to be removed even faster?

Dumbledore had said the protection would end at midnight tonight. Harry would be totally at Voldemort's mercy. He had the sudden image of Voldemort hiding in the hydrangea bush just outside the window, counting down the hours until midnight.

"Ridiculous," Harry muttered to himself. They were coming for him and they would be here before they day was out. He just had to be patient. Of course, that was easier said than done.

Harry was forcibly reminded of the summer before his fourth year, when he anxiously waited for the Weasleys to come and fetch him for the World Cup. This was worse, though. Something had stopped him from telling the Dursleys that he was leaving for good. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to keep that information to the very last second. He didn't think he could stand the constant stream of "How much longer? When are they coming?" No, he would wait until the guard appeared, haul his belongings down, and bid them goodbye after 16 years of hell.

A sudden crash and several loud screams shook him roughly from his thoughts. Instinctively, Harry grabbed his wand and shot out of his bedroom door. He ran smack into Mr. Weasley at the middle of the staircase. He teetered on the step before he got his foothold back.

"Well, there you are Harry. Come on, let's get your things. We've only got a ten minute window before the portkey expires."

Harry looked at him skeptically. He raised his wand, pointing it directly at the man's heart. "How do I know you are who you say you are?"

Mr. Weasley look momentarily stunned, but then smiled widely. "Smart boy, Harry, good for you! You gave me fuse wire and screwdrivers for Christmas in St. Mungo's and my daughter used to stick her elbow in the butter every time you looked at her."

Harry smiled and lowered his wand. He knew a Deatheater wouldn't know such mundane, ordinary things. "Nice to see you Mr. Weasley."

They shook hands briefly. "Come on, let's get your things."

Less than five minutes later they were standing at the foot of the stairs; the Dursley's were standing huddled together, far away from the wizards. Harry saw that Tonks and Mr. Weasley were the only ones that had come.

Harry approached his aunt and uncle, trying to keep his temper at bay. Part of him wanted to hex them to bits, but the other part was simply ready to be away from them forever. He took a deep breath. "Right, this is where it ends. Once I leave today, I'll never come near this house again. Not that any of you will give a damn; rid of me at last aren't you?"

"For good you say? Well, don't let us keep you waiting. I've waited too long for this moment; go on get out!" Vernon turned on his heel and pushed Dudley out into the hallway in front of him. Harry heard them going out the backdoor.

Petunia stood scowling, chewing her lip. Mr. Weasley and Tonks began to fiddle with Harry's things; apparently sending them on to their final destination. They were obviously uncomfortable with the conversation.

Harry turned to get in place for the portkey, when he heard a small, trembling voice.

"Harry?" It was barely a whisper.

He turned to see his aunt; he gaped at her. She was standing, pale faced and nervously wringing her hands. Tears were actually swimming in her eyes. Before Harry knew what was happening, her arms were thrown around his neck.

"Please, please be careful and take care of yourself." She whispered in his ear.

As quickly as it had happened, it was over. She was disappearing through the hallway door. Harry made to follow her, but Tonks pulled him back. "We've got less than a minute, Harry. Let's go." He reached out a hand and touched the portkey. His mind was reeling so much; he barely felt the tug behind his navel.

* * *

Ginny was buried elbow deep in weeds and dirt. Cursing her mother slightly, she yanked at the offending plants. "Stupid bloody wedding! Stupid bloody Percy! Stupid bloody weeds!"

She heard a shout from inside the house. "Why didn't you tell me that we were coming here? I really get to stay here until the start of term?"

"Yes, Harry, now go on up and get settled, you're in Ron's room. Tonks and I have to get back to work. I'll go and let Molly know you're here first."

Ginny's heart leapt. He was here; he was really here! She couldn't believe it, he was only feet from her at his very minute. She stayed quite still; half sitting, half kneeling in the dirt. Should she go in? What would she say? What would he do? What if her mother caught her abandoning her chores?

In an instant, she threw down the trowel in her hand and left the flowers beside it. Once inside, she could hear footsteps and the unmistakable sound of a trunk being dragged up the stairs. Hurrying to the mirror over the mantle, she checked her reflection. She'd begun to burn in the scorching sun, so her cheeks and nose had turned a fair shade of pink. Ginny removed the clip, shook out her hair, and dashed to the kitchen to wash away the garden stains on her skin.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, she brushed the dirt from her t-shirt and convulsively straightened her shorts. Once she reached the top landing, she tiptoed up to Ron's open bedroom door. There was no talking, so he was definitely alone. She peeked around the door frame to see Harry bent over his open trunk, fishing something out. Biting her lip, she slipped silently into the room.

Suddenly, she wondered why on earth she'd come up here. All the words she'd come up with to say to him were gone. Her mouth didn't seem to work, and her brain was betraying her at this crucial moment. Any minute he would turn around and she would be standing there gaping at him like a goldfish. Finally her stupid brain came to life again, and a sentence formed in her mouth. Before she could get her tongue properly wrapped around it though, it tumbled over her lips.

"Didn'tthinkyou'dgethereever, Harry."

"_What in the name of Godric Gryffindor was that?" she thought wildly._

Harry spun around and looked at her. They stood staring at each other for what seemed hours before he finally spoke. "Sorry, didn't catch that."

Suddenly, he began to laugh. The smug bastard was actually standing there, bold as brass, laughing at her. She took a deep breath, determined to get her composure and control of the situation.

"I said, we didn't think you'd ever get here. Hearing gone bad, has it?"

He'd stopped laughing and his cheek reddened. _HA!_ She'd just made him blush. Then, Ginny noticed that he wasn't looking at her the way he usually did. The color in his cheeks deepened as her studied her. His eyes looked different; they had never been that deep of a green; had they?

Suddenly, Ginny felt her own cheeks grow warm. Was he thinking the same thing she was? The same thing she thought about when things were quiet at night; that day at King's Cross. Without realizing it she was walking toward him, just as he was crossing the room toward her. Now, they were very close together. Very, very close…

"GINNNY WEASLEY! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?"

With that, the moment was broken. Ginny let out the breath she had been holding. Harry gave a shaky laugh.

"Sounds like you're in trouble."

"Humph! I have been all summer. You think she would go a bit easier on me after…" She closed her eyes, angry with herself. Why, oh, why did she say that?

Harry seemed not to have noticed, or maybe he was pretending. "What have you been doing; wrestling with gnomes?" he asked, taking in her dirt covered clothes.

"No, just trying to make those brown patches around the house look like proper flower gardens. Mum wants the place perfect for tomorrow."

"What's happening tomorrow?"

"You don't know?"

"GINEVRA WEASLEY, DON'T MAKE ME SHOUT AT YOU AGAIN!"

Ginny jumped and dashed to the open window. She stuck her head out, looking down on her mother. "I'm just showing Harry where he's sleeping!"

"Don't give me that lie, young lady! Harry knows perfectly well where Ron's room is. Get down here and finish that garden this instant!"

She gave her mother a wave and stood back up. "Sorry about that. I'd forgotten that they weren't telling you anything. Not that this is important or anything," she added as an afterthought. "Percy's getting married here tomorrow."

"What? Who's he marrying?"

"Penelope, of course. I wrote you last Christmas that he'd proposed."

"I'd forgotten about that! They're really going through with it then?"

"Seems like it. I think she's mental personally. Apparently, she sees something in him the rest of us don't."

"What's that?

"Dunno, maybe a human heart."

Both of them burst out laughing at that. Ginny marveled at how easy their conversation was, but it had always been that way when they were talking about other people. It was discussing each other that was the problem. Suddenly, Ginny realized just how close they were again. Then she realized that Harry had reached out and touched her arm. A warm sensation traveled up and down her body, radiating from the spot where their skin made contact. She instinctively leaned into him; he was bending his head down toward hers.

"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY! YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO GET DOWN HERE OR I'M COMING UP AFTER YOU!"

"Bloody hell and damnation!" Once again, the moment had been ruined. "Sorry, Harry, but I'd better get down there. She'll be thundering up those steps any minute." With one last look, she hurtled out of the room and down the stairs.

"_Damn it all!"_ she thought as she twisted her hair back up on the back of her head. They had come so close twice! "_You've got the rest of the summer. Don't rush it."_

Smiling smugly to herself, she went back to planting the vibrant colored flowers in the places where she had ripped up the ugly weeds. Yes, they had the rest of the summer.

* * *

"Harry!"

Harry quickly found himself being attacked by something that looked vaguely like Hermione. It couldn't be her, though. She looked thinner than he'd ever remembered; her brown curls seemed to have lost their wildness, and hung limply down her back. He was taken aback when he looked down to see dark circles under her eyes. She looked terribly ill.

Looking over Hermione's shoulder, he saw Ron watching him. Harry opened his mouth, but Ron had obviously sensed his question and shook his head slightly.

"When did you get here?" Hermione pulled away from him. Her smile spread wide, but it didn't show in her eyes the way it normally did.

"Just…just now." It took him a moment to get over the shock of her. He had only seen her look this unhealthy twice. Once, when she had the Time Turner and then just after last Christmas. He swiftly fixed a smile on his face when he saw Ron's look. "You look great Hermione. How have things been going?"

"Harry, give it up. I look horrible and I know you're only saying that because Ron is giving you one of those looks. Don't worry though; I'm getting better. I promise." She turned and smiled at Ron, who looked dumbfounded.

After a pause, the three laughed. "Ginny's told me about the wedding. What have you two gotten bullied into doing?"

Ron screwed up his face, looking murderous. "We've got to clean around the pond. No one will even be over here, but Mum wants everything perfect for her '_Darling Percy'_. It's disgusting."

"Oh, for heavens sake, Ron. Percy is her first son to get married; she has the right to want everything perfect."

Harry stood, watching them bicker, smiling. If two people ever deserved to be together, it was Ron and Hermione.

"What are you looking so smug about?" Ron snapped at him, suddenly.

"Oh, just that you two are made for each other." Harry enjoyed watching Hermione blush crimson and Ron smile shyly.

"You sound as bad as Mum and Dad."

Hermione, however, folded her arms and fixed Harry with a superior look. "If you only just got here, how did you have time to talk to Ginny about the wedding?" She looked awfully pleased with herself; it was revolting.

Ron looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, when did you see her?"

Harry stood, mouth open, looking between the two.

"Lunch time! I've got sandwiches and lemonade!"

"_Finally,"_ Harry thought. "_She's finally interrupted at the perfect moment."_

"Time for lunch," he said brightly and turned to head back to the house, leaving his best friends to stare after him.

* * *

A/N: I really hadn't planned to stop there, but it just seemed right. R/R please! 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related names and places are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and various others… and have been used without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Ron leaned back in his chair, content with the world around him. He wasn't sure why, but now that Harry was here, things felt…well…_normal_. He looked around him and saw Ginny and Hermione whispering; his little sister grinning devilishly. "_Good lord, she's too much like Fred and George." _Ron thought. Looking away from the pair, he saw his best friend in deep conversation with his father. He and Hermione hadn't approached Harry yet about the pact they had made. Knowing how Harry had taken the last summer where he received no news, Ron wasn't keen to address the subject. He watched Harry for a few minutes before he realized that his dad and Harry weren't really discussing anything to do with the war. Instead, Harry seemed to be teaching the older man how muggles communicated over something called the Enter Not. Whatever that was…

A snort made him look around. Whatever Ginny had just said to Hermione had caused her to shake with laughter. Tears were pouring from her eyes and she held one hand to her mouth while pounding the table with the other.

"What's so funny down there?"

Ginny wiped tears from her own eyes, and grinned at Ron. "Just telling Hermione about how you used to wet all over your bed, and then try to put me in it so I would take the blame."

Ron could feel his ears burning as Hermione positively screamed with laughter. "It's a lie! I never did that!"

"Oh yes you did, Ronald. I remember waking up in the middle of the night hearing Ginny wailing because you were pulling her up the stairs when she was half asleep. Poor, dear." Ron glared at his mother as she patted Ginny lovingly on the head. "Worse than all the rest put together, you were. I cast _Scourgify_ on that poor bed so much, it's a wonder it's still standing."

Ginny and Hermione had completely lost control of themselves now. Hermione had slid sideways out of her chair and hit the floor with a loud _thunk_. She rolled around on the floor, clutching her stomach. Ginny's head was thrown back, laughing fit to burst, endanger of joining Hermione on the floor at any moment.

Ron glowered at his former three favorite women on earth. A war was waging in his head, though. True they were laughing at his expense, but it had been so long since he had seen Ginny and Hermione laugh that it was almost worth the humiliation. Trouble was, Harry had obviously overheard the story and had ducked under the table to hide his laughter.

"It wasn't that funny! I was a little kid; what do you expect?" Ron snatched his plate from the table and threw it roughly in the sink. With a flick of his wand, the plate began washing itself. He stormed up the stairs to the others shouts of, "Ron, come back! We're sorry!"

Ignoring them, he finally reached the top, slammed his bedroom door, and threw himself onto his bed. A tiny knock came almost immediately.

"Ron, please let me in. I'm sorry for laughing at you. Forgive me and open the door."

He had expected to Hermione to be on the other side, but instead it was Ginny. "Go away!" He knew she wouldn't, and silently cursed himself for not locking the stupid door.

Turning his back to her, he heard Ginny enter the room. He felt the edge of his bed sink, and knew she was sitting behind him. "I'm sorry for embarrassing you, Ron. It was great to see Hermione laughing though, wasn't it?"

Ron sighed heavily and turned over to face his sister. "You could have embarrassed someone else, you know? Like Harry, perhaps."

"I don't have any good dirt on him. Besides, I think Hermione should know what sort of person she's gotten involved with, _Bed wetter_."

Even Ron couldn't help but smile. "Cut it out, or I'll tell Harry about how you used to play Princess and pretend he was your knight in shining armor."

"Why would that embarrass me? I don't care what Harry thinks." There was something about the way her cheeks flushed pink that told Ron Ginny wasn't telling the truth.

"What is with you two?" Ron asked. "We know he's crazy about you, and you've been hung up on him for years…"

"I have not been hung up on him for years!"

"Yes, you have. Why can't you two just get together?"

Ginny looked down and began to play with a hole in the blanket. "It's weird for us Ron. It was easy for you and Hermione; the both of you always knew you'd end up like this. We're different; we aren't exactly made for each other." She stood and crossed to the window. With folded arms, she looked out over the yard. "What if we did get together? How do we know it would work out? How do we know we won't fall apart? What if we end up hating each other in the end? I couldn't stand that, Ron. I couldn't take him not being there."

"That's what's bothering you? Merlin, Ginny! Don't you think I wondered the same thing? I kept putting off saying anything to Hermione, because I figured having her as my friend forever was better than loving her for a little while. No one knows whether things will work out the way they want. You've got to give it a chance, or you'll spend your whole life wondering 'What If?'. I don't know if Hermione and I will be together forever, but I can love her right now. And that's all I really need."

Ron stood, quite astonished with himself. Where had that come from? Since when was he so open about stuff like that? Ginny was smiling at him from across the room.

"Thanks, Ron." She crossed the room, wrapped her arms around him, and then kissed his cheek. "I think I needed that. What would you say if Harry and I did get together?"

"If I said I hated the idea, would it change your mind?"

"You know better than that."

"Then it doesn't matter what I think. Since you're asking though…" He smiled. "I wouldn't mind too much." Ron hugged his little sister, and then they both headed downstairs.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was downstairs again. Whatever Ginny had said to Ron upstairs seemed to do the trick. Ron had come back down, apologized for losing his temper, and then kissed Hermione's cheek.

The four of them were now playing a very vicious game of exploding snap, which Harry was losing spectacularly at.

"You really stink at this game; did you know that, Harry?"

"Thanks a lot, Ginny."

He watched as she reached across him to pick up a card. His eyes instinctively went to her forearm. The cut was perfectly healed, but a raised pinkish scar blemished the normally porcelain skin.

"They said it would always be there." Harry looked up at her. Ginny had obviously caught him staring. "It's healed alright, but they can't do anything about the scar. It'll fade though. Eventually you won't even be able to see it." She smiled at him. "Your move, Harry."

"Alright you lot; I want everyone in bed. We've got a big day tomorrow and you all need to be well rested. Ginny, I've finished ironing your dress and it's hanging in your room. Here you are, Hermione dear." Mrs. Weasley had bustled over and was handing Hermione a steaming mug.

Hermione wrinkled her nose and accepted the cup. She began to sip it as Ginny cleared away all the cards.

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"I thought you weren't going to drink that anymore!" Ron burst out angrily.

"Ron, we all need our sleep. It's just the once; I've hardly slept this week." Hermione turned up the cup and drained the last bit from it. Ron continued to scowl. "Well, I'm to bed then. Goodnight everyone." She hugged Ginny and Harry, gave Ron a kiss, (which Harry felt the need to turn his head away from) then climbed the stairs.

Ginny reached over and thumped Ron on the head. "What did you have to do that for? You know she hates it enough without you making her feel worse!"

"Ouch! I just hate seeing her all drugged up like that. It's like she's…" Ron's voice trailed off, but Harry thought he heard something like, "…Christmas all over again."

Harry was bewildered. "Will someone explain to me what's going one, please? What's the big deal with the tea?"

Ginny yawned and stretched. "I'm knackered. Ron, you explain it all to him. Goodnight."

Soon Ron and Harry were climbing the stairs with Mrs. Weasley close on their heels. When they reached the top landing, she stopped at the last step. She gave her wand a complicated little wave and muttered something under her breath. "Well, goodnight dears." Then turned and walked back down.

Harry turned to Ron, who was pulling on his pajamas. "Alright what is going on around here? You're getting all upset over Hermione drinking a bit of tea before bed, then your mum…" Harry waved an imaginary wand around. "Was she putting a charm up?"

Ron's red head emerged from the neck of his shirt. "Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. Mum apparently doesn't trust me now that Hermione and I are going out. She puts a charm up so that if anyone crosses that landing, she'll know about it."

"You're joking! What's she going to do once you're at Hogwarts; have McGonagall charm your doors?"

"I hope not. She just doesn't want anything to happen while we're here."

Harry shuddered. "Let's not ever talk about that again. Just the idea gives me the creeps." He laughed as Ron's ears turned red. "So what's with the tea? Was there some sort of sleeping draught in it?"

"Yeah, Mum makes it for her when she asks. Hermione's been having these really horrible nightmares since she got here. I think it's about her parents. I'm not really sure; she won't tell anyone about them. She just wakes up crying and screaming. It takes awhile for Ginny and I to calm her down. Eventually she goes back to sleep, though."

"But I thought you couldn't get past the landing?"

"Oh, I can get past it, but the whole house wakes up." Ron looked suddenly stony-faced. "I don't care how many charms are put up, when she screams; I'm there."

Harry didn't press the subject. He pulled on his own pajamas, while Ron settled into bed.

"Sorry about the whole wedding thing on your birthday, mate. The prat probably planned it on purpose. The way Mum's acting, you'd think Percy was the first person to ever get married."

"What does your dad think about it?"

"Well, they've sort of worked things out. I don't think Dad's really forgiven him for the rotten things he said. They don't spend a lot of time around each other. Fred and George said the only reason they were coming tomorrow was because of Mum. It'd kill her if we all weren't here, even Charlie's coming. Oh, by the way, we've got to keep the magic under wraps tomorrow."

"Why?"

Ron yawned and stretched widely. "Penelope's muggleborn, remember? Her parents and little brother are coming." He was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth.

Harry had so many other questions to ask, but his eyes were so heavy. It could all wait until tomorrow.

* * *

"It's completely hopeless." Harry muttered to his reflection. He was dragging a comb through his hair in a vain attempt to make it look a bit neater. "Can't I just have one day where I don't look like some wild beast?"

Then a brilliant beyond brilliant idea came to him. Wetting his hands under the faucet, he flattened his hair down and held his hand down over it. "If it won't lie flat on its own, then I'll make it," Harry thought. He wasn't sure why he was bothered by the whole matter, but decided not to worry about it now.

For the better part of an hour, Harry wandered around the upstairs holding a hand flat against the top of his head. He was fishing clothes out of his trunk, one-handed, when Ron woke up.

"What are you doing?" asked Ron.

"Nothing," replied Harry, still rummaging through his stuff.

"Then why is your hand plastered to your head? Did someone jinx you or something?"

"Look it's nothing. I'm just trying…something."

"You look like a prat if you ask me."

"Well, no one did; so shut up," Harry snapped at him.

Ron shrugged and stumbled sleepily toward the bathroom. Harry kept his hand on his hair.

When Ron finally came out of the bathroom, Harry rushed in and looked in the mirror again. It had worked!

"If you're through primping, Your Highness, maybe we can go down to breakfast," said Ron, leaning against the door frame and smirking.

"Oh shut up," Harry mumbled.

They found Hermione and Ginny already seated at the table, sipping coffee. Mrs. Weasley was standing over the stove flipping pancakes.

"Morning, you two," Hermione called. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

Harry's stomach jolted. He'd forgotten today was his 17th birthday. As Ron took a seat next to Hermione, Harry pulled out the chair beside Ginny. A small pile of presents lay before him on the table.

"You didn't think we'd forget about your birthday did you?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she passed around plates. "I'm sorry we can't do more today, but I promise that tomorrow we'll have a proper celebration."

Harry was listening, but Ginny's expression caught his eye. She was looking at him in a peculiar way. Her head was tilted and she was biting her lip. She looked as though she were trying to remember something.

"Something wrong, Ginny?" Harry asked her.

"I'm just trying to…" She tilted her head to the other side and frowned. "Something's different about you and I can't figure out what it is. You look different."

"I thought that too, Ginny. I can't put my finger on it, but you do look different," said Hermione.

Ron gave a snort, and Harry shot him a look. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said and turned to his presents and breakfast.

"Aha!" Ginny shouted suddenly. "I've figured it out! You hair; it's all flat now."

Harry felt his cheeks flush as Ron sniggered. Suddenly, Ginny raised her hands and began to rough his hair around. He sat, shocked, until she leaned back to appraise her work.

"There, that's much better. You look like you now." She turned and started eating her breakfast as if nothing had just happened.

Ron couldn't contain himself any longer. He howled with laughter.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked him.

Ron pointed at Harry, and tried to calm down enough to answer. "He…spent…all morning…with…his hand on…his head! Then…Ginny…just…" He raised his hands to his own head and mimicked what Ginny had done.

Everyone burst out laughing at once. Even Harry had to grin about it; he realized how ridiculous he had been.

After breakfast was finished, and Harry had opened his presents, everyone set outside to work. They would all be setting up for the wedding this afternoon.

"Alright I want Ron and Harry to set up the chairs over there. The chairs are in the garage, boys. They'll need to be cleaned up a bit. Girls, you'll be helping me with the flowers and hanging up the decorations."

Harry made to set off with Ron but a hand caught his arm. It was Ginny.

"Sorry about that whole scene at breakfast."

Harry smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. Ron was right; I looked like a prat anyway."

"Well, I just wanted you to know that I didn't forget about your birthday. I'll give you your present later today, okay?"

"Okay, but you really don't have to…"

"I know, but I want to," Ginny said. She waved and trotted off after her mother and Hermione.

Harry ran to catch up with Ron. They pulled the dozen or so rusty chairs from the old garage.

"It'll take all day to clean these up. Guess we'll need soap and water from the house."

Ron looked at Harry. "Are you crazy? Have you forgotten that we're wizards, Harry?"

Harry stared at him; then the realization set in. He was seventeen now and could do magic outside school. "Blimey, I forgot I can do magic now." He grinned at Ron. "Well let's get started.

Using magic to clean up the chairs was easier, but it still took over two hours to get them spotless. They carried them over the patch of lawn Mrs. Weasley had picked out and began to set everything up. The girls were hanging some sort of flowers from the branches of the trees. Hermione was guiding them around with her wand, while Ginny was standing on tip-toes, trying to reach the lower branches. She kept scowling at Hermione.

Once the chairs were set into place, Mrs. Weasley came over and began to cover them with some white material. Ron and Harry were sent over to start setting up the tables that would hold the food. Ginny, Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley started decorating around the chairs.

Eventually, lunch came and everyone trooped inside. They ate sandwiches and drank cold lemonade. After lunch Mrs. Weasley shooed the boys from the kitchen and set them to cleaning the lower windows around the house. Ginny and Hermione would be helping her with the cooking.

"So, are you glad you're away from the muggles forever?"

"Yeah, no more cooking breakfast for Dudley's fat arse. No more jumping every time Uncle Vernon shouts." Harry suddenly remembered the day before, when he had left the house. His aunt's behavior had been alarming. She'd never shown him an ounce of affection in the sixteen years he had lived there. Then suddenly she was hugging him and telling him to be careful. He told Ron all about it.

"What do you think she meant by it? She doesn't seem the type to just go around hugging people."

"She's not; well at least not to me. She's always hated me."

Ron shrugged; he seemed just as confused as Harry did about the whole thing. They worked in silence for awhile, but Harry got the feeling Ron wanted to say something to him.

"You okay, mate?"

Ron opened his mouth and then shut it again. He shook his head slightly, then lowered his wand and turned to Harry. "I talked to Ginny last night."

"Okay," Harry said. "What about?"

"About you two."

Harry's heart jumped into his throat. "_Here it comes,"_ he thought. "_He's going to tell me to stay away from her. I knew he didn't mean what he said on the train."_

"I don't know what's going on with you two now. You're all for each other, then you're not speaking, and now you're both acting weird. It's not really my business, I know, but she's my sister."

Suddenly, Harry realized just how much bigger Ron was than him. He swallowed nervously.

"Ginny is my sister. You're my best mate and all, but I'm going to tell you now. If there is something going on between you two; you'd better take care of her. I don't want you to start pushing her around or pushing her away when things get crazy. I know how you are; something bad happens, and then you start pushing everyone away from you."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Ron kept talking. "You always do it, Harry. I'm warning you, though. Ginny's not the sort to be pushed around and left behind. If you're going to start anything with her, you'd better be damned sure that you can stick with it. I'm not just being all protective because I'm her brother; Ginny's been through a lot of shit in her life. She doesn't need anyone else screwing around with her head." He met Harry's eyes. "If you do anything to hurt her, I mean really hurt her; I'll have to forget that we're friends. You hurt her and I hurt you, got it?"

Harry had known this talk would come sooner or later if he ever had a relationship with Ginny. He swallowed, hard, and nodded. Ron nodded too, and there seemed to be an understanding between them. Harry began to think in the silence that followed.

"You know, Ron, Hermione is as good as my sister. She's the closest thing I've ever had to one. So I could say the same thing to you."

Ron looked at him, bewildered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Harry drew himself up to his full height. "I mean you're both my best friends, but a guy has to look out for his sister, you know. Just be careful with Hermione, that's all."

Ron stared at Harry for a moment and then nodded, too. "We're a couple of fools for getting mixed up with those two, you know?"

Harry shrugged. "Gluttons for punishment, I guess."

At four o'clock, Mrs. Weasley made her final survey over the house. She announced it in perfect shape and sent everyone inside. They sat around the table finishing off the lemonade, no one really saying anything. Soon Mrs. Weasley was ushering everyone upstairs to shower and change.

"So, what exactly is this great protection that's supposed to be up around the house this summer?" Harry asked Ron as they gathered up their bath things.

"Oh, well, Hermione and I got to work on some of the enchantments. There's loads of anti-jinx stuff and Imperturbable charms. Dumbledore had the Ministry make the place Unplottable. Then Dumbledore did something so that no one can come across the barriers if they want to do harm to anyone on the other side. It's pretty cool. Mum couldn't come home one day because Fred and George were here. They'd done something to hack her off in Diagon Alley, and then came here to hide. When she tried to Apparate in, the wards kept throwing her out. It took three hours before she calmed down enough to be able to come home."

"So Dumbledore thinks we're pretty safe?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, Mum reckons only Hogwarts is safer. We had to keep to the house as much as possible before the wards were done; well Ginny did anyway. She was pretty pissed off the first few weeks." Ron turned towards Harry. "There's something else I should tell you."

"Ron, really, I got the whole 'big brother' speech. I won't do anything…"

"It's no that. Look; me, Hermione, and Ginny all took this sort of…I don't know…oath I guess, to just be normal this summer."

"What do you mean _normal_?"

"Well, we don't read _The Daily Prophet_ anymore, we don't try to sneak and see what the Order's been up to, and we don't even talk about the war at all. We just want to be as normal as possible before we go back to school. Hermione's been bugging me all day to tell you. You don't have to do it, but just so you know, if you want to start spying then you're on your own."

"So you're just pretending nothing is going on?" Harry felt his temper start to flare up.

"No, it's just…" Ron wrinkled his forehead. "What good does it do us to know what You-Know-Who is up to? We can't do anything about it here, Harry. Once we go back to school, we'll have to deal with it all the time. Like Hermione said, this is our last summer of freedom, mate. Next summer you're going to go off and join the Aurors and you're whole life will be about finding and capturing Dark wizards. Can you just _not_ think about them for four weeks?"

Something stirred in Harry; Ron was right. They were all right. For the past six years, he'd only thought of Voldemort, of his parents deaths, of all the people killed so far in the war. Hadn't he always wanted to just be normal? Now he was here, with people who didn't only look at him as the Boy-Who-Lived. He could lead a normal life, even if it was only for a short time.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. What do I have to lose?"

* * *

Harry and Ron stood close to the back door talking to Charlie.

"Can't wait to have you out there with us next year, Ron. That is if you pass your NEWT's, I mean."

"Don't worry about me. Harry's the mental one; going out for the Aurors."

Charlie laughed and raised his hand in a mock toast. "Cheers to that. What's Hermione decided to do? With the brains she's got I'll bet all the department heads at the Ministry are tripping over themselves to hire her; NEWT's or not."

"She's going into healing. I think her parents had a lot to do with it. Thinks she owes it to them or something."

"Wow," said Charlie, looking astonished.

"What?" asked Harry.

"Well, I just figured she'd be doing something…I don't know…bigger, I guess. I figured she'd try and take on the Ministry about elf rights or something." Charlie shook his head, and then eyed Ron. "So, how's that going to work out for the two of you?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, you'll be off in Romania with me and she'll be studying in London. St. Mungo's is the best place for healers to train. Can't imagine her studying at the pathetic place in Bucharest. Are you guys going to be able to handle that sort of separation? You'll have to stay on at least two years with the camp. Healers have at least three years training, plus a year of internship with the hospital they train at."

Ron swallowed hard and looked around the yard. "I'm going to go and see what Fred and George are up to." He walked away, looking as though he'd been hit in the stomach with a beater's bat.

"He hasn't thought it out, has he?" Charlie asked Harry.

"I guess not." Harry watched Ron go. To be honest, Harry hadn't really thought about it. In just under a year, the three of them would be going their separate ways. They'd been together so long; it was hard to imagine his life without them. Would things remain the same? Would they still be as close as they had been the past six years? Suddenly, Harry wished this summer could go on forever.

"Alright everyone, we're just about ready to start. Everyone take yours seats, please." A little man with grey hair called from the door of the house. Harry had forgotten his name, but knew he was from the Ministry and had consented to perform the ceremony.

Harry and Charlie all took their seats, close to Fred and George. The twins were unusually quiet and sulky; perhaps it had something to do with the fact that their mother had confiscated their wands for the evening. She threatened them within an inch of their lives if they tried anything funny.

Soft music floated from inside the house. White flower petals covered the narrow aisle that ran between the chairs. A raised dais, draped in pale blue and white, stood in front of them. The little man from the ministry stood on top of it, waiting for the wedding to begin.

Ron, looking slightly awestruck, escorted a very pretty Hermione to her seat. He sat down beside her, apparently unable to take his eyes from her. Harry couldn't blame him really. She had on a pale yellow dress and her hair was pulled back away from her face. Seeing Harry, she smiled and gave him a sly wink.

Soon Penelope's brother (Harry thought his name was Jonathan, but he couldn't be sure) was escorting his mother to her seat at the front of the group. Mrs. Clearwater looked a lot like her daughter. Tall and slender, with high cheekbones and blonde curls; she was a very striking woman. The son, however, looked like his father; tall with dark hair and eyes.

Next came Mrs. Weasley, holding on to Percy's arm, beaming at everyone as she passed. Mr. Weasley followed close behind them. Percy kissed his mother's cheek and shook his father's hand before going to stand next to the little man at the front.

Harry had never been to a wedding before, but it seemed very dull and boring so far. The chair was hard on his backside, and his stomach had started growling. He was just wishing the whole thing would hurry and be over when he realized everyone was looking behind them. His eyes followed theirs and suddenly Harry forgot about everything else around him. Ginny's arm was linked through Bill's; her other hand was carrying a group of white flowers. Her dress was long and dark blue. Her vivid hair hung down her back in ginger waves. Brown eyes crinkled in a smile as she was escorted to the front of the group. Harry couldn't tear his eyes from her; not even when Penelope and her father came down the center aisle.

He stared at her throughout the entire ceremony. A few times she even looked around and caught his eye, lifting the corners of her mouth in a smirk. Harry's trance was broken when every one around him started shouting and clapping. Numbly, he joined in with them. The wedding was over and he'd completely missed it.

Everyone one was standing up and following Percy and Penelope back down the middle aisle toward the house. Ron reached over and thumped him on the back of the head.

"Are you coming or not?"

Harry nodded, feeling slightly punch-drunk.

The evening went on, Harry forcing himself to pay attention to every one else. They all gathered around the table for what had to be the most elaborate meal Harry had ever eaten at the Burrow. The tables were covered with dark blue clothes and white lace on top of them. Large candles stood at various intervals, surrounded by a wreath of summer flowers.

To Harry's dismay, Ginny took the seat at Penelope's right. Mrs. Clearwater took the seat next to Ginny. Harry crossed around the table and sat three spaces down from her on the opposite side.

Both sets of parents made toasts to the new couple. Bill stood and said a few, well-chosen words about Percy, suggested that Penelope might need her head examined for marrying into this sort of family, but in the end congratulated them both. After the applause and laughter died away, Ginny stood with her glass in hand.

"It's been years since I've had all this family's attention on me, so I think I'll drag out this speech and savor the moment." Everyone laughed, Ginny smiled around at them. The candlelight flickering on her hair and skin gave her an ethereal sort of glow. She composed herself and took a deep breath. "The world we live in isn't perfect; it's full of danger and heartache. It seems that with every turn we take, there is a new fear pressing on us. Today, however, we don't live in that world. We've gathered here to witness something that makes all the fear and danger seem…small. Two people, in love, have promised to spend the rest of their lives protecting and loving each other. They've invited us, their closest and dearest family, to join them as they made that promise. I hope that the love they feel for each other now will last until, many, many years from now, they cross over to the other side. Congratulations to my brother and my very first sister-in-law!"

"Cheers," everyone said with hoarse voices and misty eyes.. Mrs. Weasley had broken down completely and had her face buried in her napkin. Even Harry had to swallow the lump rising is his throat. He hadn't imagined something so…profound and beautiful from Ginny. He'd been expecting the words "arse" and "selfish prat" to be used at least once.

Mrs. Weasley finally managed to control herself, and everyone began to eat. Conversation flowed smoothly around the table, and then it was time for dessert. A huge wedding cake was unearthed and everyone gathered around it as Percy and Penny cut it.

Fleur arrived a while later, making her apologies for having to work late. Harry laughed out loud when Fleur went over to greet Ron, kissing him on the cheek. Hermione scowled, but Ron simply gave Fleur's shoulder a pat, said "Good to see you, too.", and then turned back to Hermione as though nothing had happened. When Harry felt a tap on his shoulder, he was surprised to see Percy standing behind him.

"Could I have a moment, Harry?'

"I guess so; sure" He followed Percy a few steps from the group.

"Listen, I just wanted to…well to…apologize. I said some very bad things about you…to a lot of people."

"You believed every lie Fudge and Umbridge threw around about me, too."

"I know, but Harry, you have to understand. Back then, going against what the minister said was as good as spitting in his face. I couldn't afford to lose my job." He looked at Harry for a moment. "We're not so different, you know?"

"How do you figure that?" Harry snapped

"Well, we want to do everything we can to make sure we never have to live the way we did growing up. Completely different circumstances, I know. I wanted to make sure I never had to worry about money; stupid thing now, really. You want to always have a family who cares about you, right?"

Harry nodded somewhat reluctantly.

"Well, you've got that family now and you intend to do everything to protect them, right?"

Harry nodded again.

"Same with me, I wanted to make sure that Penny and I never had to struggle like Mum and Dad did. I see now what an idiot I was. I threw my family away for a few extra galleons a week." Percy looked down at his shoes. "Anyway, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I'm not asking for any forgiveness; I don't deserve it. Fred and George made sure I knew that." He clapped Harry on the shoulder and smiled at him. "Try and keep Ron out of trouble, will you? I think he may be the worst out of the whole lot of us."

"I'll try." He watched as Percy nodded and smiled at him. He started to walk away but Harry called to him. "They'll forgive you after a bit. You're still family, after all."

Percy smiled again, and went to join his wife. Harry wandered down to the old tree by the pond's bank. He sat on the ground, leaned against it, and closed his eyes.

"Hi there," a soft voice breathed in his ear. He jumped and opened his eyes. Ginny was kneeling down beside him. "I figured you'd escape sooner or later."

"Why's that?"

"Because this whole thing has been a dead bore. Sitting in my bed with a good book sounds pretty tempting right now." She sat down on the ground, arranging her skirt over he legs. Reaching out, she slipped the sandals off her feet. "This is what I get for trying to be tall for one day of my life."

They sat in silence for awhile, both staring out over the pond.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

Harry gave a start. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"It's a perfect night. No clouds, the moon shining in the water, crickets singing…" Ginny closed her eyes, taking a long sniff of the air around her. "You can smell the flowers and cake from the house. It smells heavenly."

Harry caught a whiff of something, but he wasn't sure it was cake or flowers. It came from Ginny; a sweet and intoxicating scent. He wondered what sort of perfume she wore.

"You know, Egypt doesn't smell anything like this."

Harry looked at her, curiously. What was her obsession with smells?

"It's sort of a spicy smell. When we were there, every morning I woke up and it was drifting through my window. It was like excitement, danger, and life was swirling around you all the time. It's different here, though."

"Why? What's it like here?"

She drew her knees up to her chest and hugged them tightly for a moment. "Clean and… wonderful. When I first went to Hogwarts, it was what I missed most." Ginny looked at him, smiling. "My first few days I kept sneaking off to my room and sniffing the quilt Mum made me. I'd brought it with me so I wouldn't miss her so much. Then one day I came back to find that the house elves had washed it. It never smelled the same again. I cried for hours." She laughed softly.

As she moved, the smell of her perfume caught Harry's nose again. He looked down; her hand was lying on the grass. He had the sudden urge to reach down and grasp it. Just as the thought crossed his mind, she shifted. She stretched her legs out in front of her and turned closer towards him.

Harry enjoyed sitting close to Ginny like this. He couldn't explain it, but for the past year just having her close by made him feel warmth he'd never felt before. He watched as the breeze caused strands of hair to whip around her face. Harry had to fight down the urge to reach out and smooth them down.

"I'm really sorry about the whole hair thing this morning. Ron wasn't serious about you walking around…"

"Yeah, he was actually." He felt his face burn with shame.

"I never imagined you actually caring." She moved closed to him. "I like it better this way." She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair.

The sensation of her fingers against his scalp sent little shivers down his spine. Before he knew what he was doing he had reached out and put his hand against her neck. Her skin was warm and soft. They were moving closer together. His fingers tangled in the hair at the base of her neck as their faces came within inches of each other.

Her hand came to rest against the side of his face. Harry could see the moon reflected in her dark eyes. Suddenly their lips met. Winding his arm around her back, he pulled her body closer to him. He shivered as he felt her tongue slide against his.

A thousand emotions seem to flow through him. There was the wild happiness he had only felt a few times in his life; the day he got his Hogwarts letter and learned that he was a wizard, the moment when the trees parted and he saw the school that would be his new home. There was the swooping sensation in his stomach like when he had first ridden a broom and when he had won the Quidditch Cup. He felt alive, calm, excited, afraid, brave enough to take on the world…he felt…he felt…

There was only one word to describe it. He wouldn't realize it until much later, but he felt like he had come home.

After a long while they broke apart, breathing heavily. Ginny's face was flushed and her lips were swollen and red. Her hands rested against his chest and she looked at him. "Happy Birthday, Harry."

They stayed down by the pond for a while longer, sometimes talking, mostly kissing. Eventually, Ginny said they should get back before someone came looking for them. Harry pushed off the ground and pulled Ginny to her feet. They walked back hand in hand, Ginny carrying her shoes. Before they reached the house they released hands, each silently reading the other's mind. What had happened down at the pond was their secret and they didn't want to share it with anyone just yet.

* * *

A/N: This has to be the most dreadful chapter ever written. It's got too much dialogue and I hated writing it. I have to give credit to a friend for Ginny's wedding speech. She stole it from someone's wedding and gave it to me to use here. Next chapter will be up…er…eventually. I shall enjoy writing it much more, lots of fun things happening…

R/R!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all related names and places are the legal property of J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury, and AOL Time Warner, and various others… and have been used without permission.  No copyright infringement is intended.

Ginny sat on her bed, smiling to herself, as she watched Hermione running around the room looking for her trainers.

"I swear I put them right here this morning!"

"Hermione, if you don't shut up you're going to wake Mum and Dad up. Then it won't matter whether or not you find your shoes."

"Well, if I don't find my shoes I won't be going anywhere anyway! AHA!" She clapped a hand to her mouth as she pulled her shoes from under a pile of discarded dresses. Sitting on her bed, she started pulling them on. "Ginny, what is that smug little smile for?"

"Nothing, I just can't believe proper little Hermione keeps sneaking out to meet her boyfriend in the middle of the night. What would Professor McGonagall say if she knew her Head Girl was blatantly disobeying the adults around her?"

"First of all, I'm not Head Girl…"Hermione started.

"Yet." Ginny finished.

Hermione scowled at her, but the blush creeping up her face gave her away. "Secondly, Ron and I are of age and quite within our rights to see each other. Besides, with all the wards up, I seriously doubt we're in danger. We always have our wands and are perfectly capable of defending ourselves."

"Yes, but that doesn't change the fact you're completely disobeying Mum by sneaking out _together_."

"Oh, shut up."  Hermione turned and pulled the large blanket from her trunk. "Hmm, I'll need to wash this soon. It's got grass all over it."

Ginny shook her head and turned away from her friend. Ron and Hermione had been sneaking out to see each other ever since they had been forbidden against nighttime wanderings. They had devised the plan early on and kept sneaking off during their long hours of helping with the wards to find ways to climb down from their windows. Their bedrooms were on the same side of the house and vines covered the outer walls. With a few Permanent Sticking charms and some Strengthening ones, they had made the vines perfect for climbing down on.

They didn't have a set day or time that they would sneak out; they decided keeping it random meant a less chance of getting caught. They would decide earlier in the day to meet, and then wait until they were sure the adults were fast asleep, climb out their window and down the vines. Ginny had no idea where they went or what they did (she wasn't sure she wanted to). In the beginning, the nights they snuck out were the only ones that Hermione didn't have nightmares.

Hermione had gathered everything she needed and was waiting for Ron's signal. She looked at Ginny. "You know you seem happier than I've seen you in months. Did you really enjoy the wedding that much?"

Ginny bit her lip and smiled. She was about to burst to tell someone. "Alright, I'll tell you but you have to promise to not tell Ron."

Hermione flew over to her bed and threw herself down on it. "I swear! Tell me!"

Feeling the happiness bubbling up inside her, the words tumbled out of her mouth. "I kissed him!"

"You kissed who?"

Ginny pinched Hermione. "Lockhart…who do you think?"

Hermione gave a squeak. "When? Where?"

"Down by the pond, after we had the cake. He had wandered off and I went looking for him. He was sitting by the tree, so I sat next to him and we started to talk. I knew I wanted to; I've wanted to since yesterday, but it never seemed like the right time. This morning I decided to just do it; you know, walk up to him and plant one on him. Then everything just sort of fell into place and…" She sighed.

"Oh, Ginny! I can't believe you and Harry finally kissed!"

"That wasn't actually the first time."

"You mean you've done it before?"

"Yeah, I sort of just attacked him outside King's Cross the day we came home. I don't know what came over me, but I just ran after him and kissed him in front of his relatives. I don't think he even realized what I'd done until after I'd gone. He just stood there looking at me."

"Well," started Hermione, "That time doesn't count. It has to be a two-sided kiss to count. So, what now?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Does this mean we're dating or we're just friends that kissed or…"

"Ginny, stop.  If you start analyzing everything and trying to figure it all out, you'll go crazy.  Just let things be for now.  It will all come together in the end."  She looked at her watch and crossed to the window.  Pushing the window open, she stuck her head out and looked up.

Ginny heard Ron's voice from outside.  "Harry, quit worrying.  We do this all the time. Come on Hermione, I'll meet you on the ground."

With that, Ginny watched as Hermione threw the blanket out of the window and hoisted herself over the windowsill.  She watched as the pair climbed down, gathered up the blanket and hurried off to their own private place. Ginny looked up to see Harry shaking his head at them.

"How long have they been doing that?" 

"Since Mum told them they couldn't.  It's not like they can't sneak off during the day."  Ginny had a sudden idea. She went back inside, slipped on her shoes, and pulled a jumper on over her pajamas.  Climbing out of the window, she called up to Harry's window in barely a whisper. "Come on, Potter, how about we have an adventure of our own?"

She had already dropped to the ground before she convinced Harry to join her. Ginny led Harry around the pond and up a steep hill.  They stood looking over the water in silence for a few moments. 

"The boys all used to play up here when they were younger.  See that rope hanging from the branch?  They used to swing from it and jump off into the water." Ginny stretched out her hand and grabbed the rope.  "They never let me do it; they said that girls weren't allowed to do that sort of thing.  So one day when I was about six, I got the idea to sneak out and just try it.  Mum was busy chasing the twins down and Dad wasn't home, so I just ran up here before anyone could catch me.  I grabbed onto the rope and started swinging, just like I'd seen the boys do, and then let go."

Harry laughed.  "What happened?"

Ginny smiled at him and let go of the rope, sinking down onto the ground.  "I let go too early and ended up rolling down the hill.  See that rock there?  I hit it before I managed to roll all the way to the lake.  It sliced my knee open all the way across; see?"  She rolled up the leg of her pajama bottoms showing a large scar across her knee.  "It bled something awful.  I knew I'd be in trouble when Mum saw it, so I tried to sneak back to the house.  Mum was chasing Fred around the front yard, so I snuck in the back and up the stairs. I made it to the bathroom before Ron caught me."

"He told on you didn't he?"

"No, he just crossed his arms and gave me this look.  Then he went and stole Mum's medicine kit and bandaged me up.  He never said a word about it to anyone." Ginny reached down a plucked a yellow flower from the grass.  "It was weird, because until then it had been Bill who took care of me.  Ron always just pushed me around."

"So, what was it like growing up around here?" 

Ginny smiled at how Harry tried to sound uninterested in his own question.  "It was…hectic.  I imagine at one time it was peaceful, but by the time I came along there was a houseful.  Dad always left for work early, leaving Mum with six of us. Summer wasn't too bad, but after Bill and Charlie went to school, it was horrible.  Fred and George took up all Mum's time.  Ron and I were miserable without our keepers, and Percy just stayed locked up in his room."

"Wait, did you say your 'keepers'?"

"Yeah, that's what Bill and Charlie called themselves.  Once I was born, the boys realized Mum was going to go nuts.  So they assigned themselves a younger sibling.  Fred and George had each other to keep occupied; Percy was too stuck up to actually _play_ with us, so Bill and Charlie decided to take pity on us.  Bill was my keeper and Charlie was Ron's.  No matter how much we annoyed them, they always took care of us.  They took us for walks to the village, played stupid games, read us stories, and tucked us in.  I loved it; Bill always called me "Buttercup".  He never let the others push me around; he didn't make me feel bad for being the only girl.  Bill was the one who suggested I sneak the brooms out and teach myself to play Quidditch. Charlie taught Ron to fly and everything you could want to know about dragons."  Ginny broke off; she suddenly felt a sadness come over her.  "I miss it.  All of us being around here I mean. It just doesn't seem right."

"I would have loved to have grown up like that; all the noise and chaos, it sounds wonderful."  Harry said, thoughtfully.

"What was it like at your aunt and uncles?  Was it as bad as everyone says?"

"Worse.  I was always in trouble.  No matter what happened, I always ended up being blamed.  Of course, now I realize I actually did cause most of the weird things that happened. Still, it was a bit depressing having a cupboard as a bedroom."

"God, I thought Ron was lying about that!  You really lived in a cupboard?"

"Yeah, until my Hogwarts letter's started coming.  They got scared and moved me up to Dudley's spare bedroom."

 Harry spent the next half hour telling Ginny about life at the Dursleys'.  "I guess it could have been worse, though."

"I don't see how you work that out. Growing up in a house like that, it's a wonder you aren't some mad, raving lunatic."

"Don't you get the paper? I am a mad, raving lunatic!" They both laughed at this. Harry stood and looked up at the sky.  "I suppose we should head back, now.  I'm getting tired."

Ginny yawned widely, and smiled up at him.  "I guess I am, too."

They walked back towards the house, hand in hand.  "So, does this mean that we're…" Harry asked, trying not to look at Ginny.

"I guess it does."

Before climbing back to their respective rooms, they kissed (which Harry was sure rivaled the one earlier in the evening).  Ginny climbed back through her window, and fell into bed. Soon Hermione was climbing in the window and heading to bed.  Ginny closed her eyes, pretended to be asleep, and thought back on the day.  It really was a good day altogether.

The next day, Mrs. Weasley threw a party for Harry's birthday.  Remus and Tonks had stopped by just before the cake was cut, even Moody stopped by to drop off a gift before setting out to patrol the ward perimeter.  That evening everyone sat around talking and laughing.

Somehow the subject had come around to Ron's unexpected birth.  Mr. Weasley was laughing so hard, tears were running down his cheeks. "I swear to you after the first four times you would think that Arthur would have learned where St. Mungo's was!" Mrs. Weasley finished, laughing fit to burst.

Harry, laughing, pointed at Ron. "You were nearly born in the car shed!"

Remus looked at Harry.  "I wouldn't laugh if I were you.  Up until the moment you were born your name was Anne and you slept in a pink nursery for two weeks!"

The entire room exploded with laughter.  Harry sputtered indignantly. "Wh…wh…what?"

"From the moment they found out they were having you, your parents argued.  James swore he was going to have a son, but Lily told him plainly that you would be a girl.  Nothing anyone said could change her mind.  She went straight home, painted the spare bedroom pink, and started buying everything for a girl.  The closer the time came, the surer she became. James kept insisting she was wrong, but nothing stopped her.  Finally, the day came.  We were all waiting outside in the corridor, when James comes running out laughing like a madman.  You could hear Lily yelling at him to stop being a prat simply because he was right.  Naturally, Lily had to concede the name Anne, and chose Harry instead.  Of course, your Dad wouldn't let her forget the whole matter.  He flatly refused to repaint the nursery for at least two weeks after you went home."

Ginny and Ron had fallen over on each other laughing; Hermione was doubled over, clutching her stomach. Harry, face red, couldn't help laughing either.  Tonks leaned forward.  "Can I call you 'Annie'?" she asked, causing the room to erupt again.

Eventually, the festivities ended and people began to leave.  Remus and Tonks were the last to say goodbye and walked together to the designated apparition point.

"I'm so glad to see the two of them happy, it should have happened sooner," Harry overheard Hermione telling Ginny.

"What do you mean?" he asked her.

"Couldn't you tell? They've fallen for each other."

"Are you sure?"  Harry asked.

"Of course, I'm sure.  Oh, they try to hide it, but it's so obvious." Hermione said.

Ron looked puzzled.  "Why would they hide it though? I mean, they're certainly old enough to make their own decisions."

Ginny was gathering up plates and cups form the table. "Well, I guess it's because they aren't exactly 'normal' are they? Tonks is an Auror and Lupin is a werewolf.  I highly doubt the ministry would look very favorable on that situation.  Plus, they're in the Order."

"What's being in the Order got to do with anything?"  Ron asked.

Harry answered, "It would be too easy for someone to use them against one another. If something happened to her, he might do anything to get her back; even compromise everyone else's safety. Maybe he thinks they're safer this way."

"Maybe she doesn't think that way.  She may think that they're stronger together; that she's stronger with him.  And even if the whole world crumbled around them, they would at least have each other even if it's for only a little while."  Ginny watched Harry for a few seconds waiting for a response.  When he didn't say anything, she gathered up the dishes and walked towards the kitchen.

"This is just a guess, but I don't think we're talking about Tonks and Lupin anymore." Ron said, following Ginny into the kitchen.

The hot summer days stretched out before Ginny, Hermione, Harry, and Ron.  Their days were filled with Quidditch practice (Hermione still flatly refused to play), Apparition practice (Ginny scowled because she couldn't practice also), and simply lying about doing nothing.  Sometimes the four would stick together, but mostly each couple paired off to their own private areas.  Ron loved the time he spent secluded with Hermione.  They would steal away to the large shade tree by the car shed; Hermione reading a book and Ron lying with his head in her lap.  There was something always nagging at the back of his mind, however.  Something he knew he would have to talk about with her eventually.  It was something he had thought about in general for years, but now it was all different. Sitting out here in the middle of the night with her had really brought the thoughts on, but it was in the day time that he suffered the most. How could he think about anything else when there she was wearing those sundresses? He could barely control himself when there was nothing between them except a thin layer of fabric. Looking up at her, he had to take a deep breath; this was one of those days.  Her dress was a pale lavender color with narrow straps going over her shoulders.  Her skin was perfectly tanned; not a trace of a freckle.  Her hair was pulled back at the base of her neck, but a few curls at her temples had escaped in the heat of the day. As if she had read his thoughts, she reached up and pushed the offending hair back out of her face.

 Turning his head, he looked towards her legs. They stretched out in front of her, long and tanned, crossed at the ankles.  Small flat sandals covered her feet and he grinned to himself when he saw that her toenails were painted pink.

Secretly, he dreaded returning to school.  He wouldn't be able to see her like this anymore.  Dull gray uniforms would cover this all up, but at least he still had nearly a month to memorize it all.  Perhaps that would carry him on until the next summer.  Surely though, he would be able to see more than just her shoulders and legs over the next year.  And then, he was back to his original problem.

 They had never even brought up the subject of sex.  They'd been together since June and neither one of them had mentioned it.  Was it too soon, perhaps? Maybe people waited a long time, a year maybe.  God, he didn't think he could last another week, let alone an entire year. Maybe he could ask Bill or Charlie; there was no way he was going to the twins with this one.  Maybe he should just ask her, but not now; not when thing were so peaceful.

"Ron?"

"Hmmm?"

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, ask me then."  He looked up at her.  She was still intently concentrating on her book.

"What would you say if I asked what you thought about us having sex?"

Ron sat up so quickly he smashed his forehead into her book.  "WH…ouch, damn!"

Hermione giggled.  "Well, that wasn't quite the reaction I was looking for."

Rubbing his forehead, Ron scowled.  "Well, you can't ask a question like that and expect me to just yawn and roll over."

"I'm sorry, but well I'm guessing it's been on your mind."

"And just how do you know that?

"Ron, please, I'm not completely ignorant.  You're a boy, I'm a girl, and we have been dating for awhile now." Then she looked down and smiled at him.  "Plus, lately you've been staring at me like a starving man who's just sat down to the start of term feast."

Ron was completely dumbfounded.  He couldn't believe that Hermione was actually sitting here talking about this.  "But, this means she's been thinking about it too," he thought.  "Well, alright, I suppose I have been thinking about it.  Like you said, I am a boy and you are a girl. What are you saying though?  Just that you know I'm thinking about it or are you saying you're thinking about it too?"

Hermione thoughtfully chewed her lip before answering.  "Both, actually.  We're of age and it's a perfectly natural stage in every relationship. Plus," she smiled at him and placed her hands on either side of his face, "I love you very much."  She leaned in and kissed him.

"Good, because I love you too.  Well, now that we've both admitted we've thought about it; what do we do?" Ron was perfectly ready to explore the idea right at that very moment, but didn't want her to know that. 

"Well," began Hermione in her bossy tone, "now that we've agreed we are both ready we should discuss how to go about it."

Ron couldn't help laughing; she sounded like she was planning some sort of study session.  He reached over and pulled her against him.  Brushing his mouth against her ear, he whispered, "Why don't we just let it happen on its own? Planning it would take all the fun out of it."

Hermione said nothing, but smiled back at him and nodded her head.

_Author's note: Well, I'm baaaaaacccccckkkkk!!  I had every intention to give up my writing since the last book was published, but the story kept nagging at the back of my head.  I've done about seven different re-writes, but I keep coming back to the original plot line.  This wasn't a very good chapter to stage my come back with, but it's a start anyway. Let me know what you think!!_


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